Qwen Code Keyboard Shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts for Qwen Code, Alibaba's open-source terminal AI coding agent, on MacWindowsLinux. Qwen Code is a fork of Gemini CLI, so many keys match — but it adds its own approval modes and commands. Built from Qwen Code's official docs.
Starting & Approval Modes
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Install (npm, Node 20+) | npm install -g @qwen-code/qwen-code@latestnpm install -g @qwen-code/qwen-code@latestnpm install -g @qwen-code/qwen-code@latest |
| Start Qwen Code in the current project | qwenqwenqwen |
| Submit your prompt | EnterEnterEnter |
| Cycle approval modes (plan → default → auto-edit → auto → yolo) | ShiftTabTabShiftTab |
| Switch to (or exit) plan mode | /plan/plan/plan |
| Change the approval mode | /approval-mode/approval-mode/approval-mode |
| Cancel the request / clear input (twice to exit) | CtrlCCtrlCCtrlC |
| Exit when input is empty (twice to confirm) | CtrlDCtrlDCtrlD |
Input & Editing
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Insert a new line | ShiftEnterShiftEnterShiftEnter |
| Insert a new line (alternate) | CtrlJCtrlJCtrlJ |
| Autocomplete the current suggestion | TabTabTab |
| Reverse-search history | CtrlRCtrlRCtrlR |
| Retry the last failed request | CtrlYCtrlYCtrlY |
| Paste (saves and references a clipboard image) | CmdVAltVCtrlV |
| Open the input in an external editor | CtrlXCtrlXCtrlX |
| Toggle shell mode (when input is empty) | !!! |
| Toggle the keyboard-shortcuts list (empty input) | ??? |
| Move to start of line | CtrlACtrlACtrlA |
| Move to end of line | CtrlECtrlECtrlE |
| Delete to end of line | CtrlKCtrlKCtrlK |
| Delete to start of line | CtrlUCtrlUCtrlU |
| Delete the previous word | CtrlWCtrlWCtrlW |
| Previous entry in history | UpUpUp |
| Next entry in history | DownDownDown |
Display & Session
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Clear the screen | CtrlLCtrlLCtrlL |
| Toggle compact mode (hide tool output / thinking) | CtrlOCtrlOCtrlO |
| Toggle tool descriptions | CtrlTCtrlTCtrlT |
| Toggle Markdown between rich and raw source | OptionMAltMAltM |
| Print a long response in full (disable truncation) | CtrlSCtrlSCtrlS |
| Promote a foreground shell command to a background task | CtrlBCtrlBCtrlB |
| Scroll history up one line | ShiftUpShiftUpShiftUp |
| Scroll history down one line | ShiftDownShiftDownShiftDown |
| See the context the IDE sent | CtrlGCtrlGCtrlG |
Slash Commands — Session
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Show help | /help/help/help |
| Generate a QWEN.md project context file | /init/init/init |
| Compress history to save tokens | /compress/compress/compress |
| Resume a previous session | /resume/resume/resume |
| Generate a one-line session recap | /recap/recap/recap |
| Restore files to their pre-tool state | /restore/restore/restore |
| Show session statistics | /stats/stats/stats |
| Switch the active model | /model/model/model |
| Exit Qwen Code | /quit/quit/quit |
Slash Commands — Qwen Extras
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Agent Arena — pit models against each other | /arena/arena/arena |
| Set UI / output language | /language/language/language |
| Ask a quick side question without derailing | /btw/btw/btw |
| List and run skills | /skills/skills/skills |
| Open the Memory Manager | /memory/memory/memory |
| Save a durable memory | /remember/remember/remember |
| Review code changes with parallel agents | /review/review/review |
| Run a prompt on a recurring schedule | /loop/loop/loop |
| Toggle Vim editing mode | /vim/vim/vim |
File & Shell References
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Reference a file's contents | @path/to/file@path/to/file@path/to/file |
| Reference a directory (recursive) | @path/to/dir@path/to/dir@path/to/dir |
| Run a single shell command | !command!command!command |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Qwen Code the same as Gemini CLI?
No, but they're closely related. Qwen Code is Alibaba's open-source terminal coding agent, forked from Google's Gemini CLI — so a lot of the keyboard shortcuts and the @-mention / slash-command structure are shared. Qwen Code adds its own touches, most notably a five-step Shift+Tab approval cycle and commands like /arena, /language, /btw, and /recap. You run it with the qwen command.
How do I switch modes in Qwen Code?
Press Shift+Tab (or just Tab on Windows) to cycle through the approval modes: plan, default, auto-edit, auto, and yolo. That's five modes — more than most CLI agents. You can also use /plan to jump to plan mode or /approval-mode to set it directly.
How do I add a new line in Qwen Code without sending?
Press Shift+Enter to insert a new line. Ctrl+J, Ctrl+Enter, and Cmd+Enter also work, which is handy because some terminals can't pass Shift+Enter through cleanly.
How do I exit Qwen Code?
Press Ctrl+C twice (the first press cancels the current request and clears the input; the second exits), or press Ctrl+D twice when the input is empty. You can also type /quit to exit immediately.
What is the /arena command in Qwen Code?
Agent Arena (/arena) runs several models on the same task in parallel — each as an independent agent in its own isolated Git worktree — then lets you compare the results and merge the winner. For example: /arena --models qwen3.5-plus,glm-5,kimi-k2.5 "Refactor auth to use JWT". It's one of Qwen Code's most distinctive features.
Can I change Qwen Code's interface language?
Yes. Use /language ui <code> to set the interface language (for example /language ui zh-CN for Chinese or /language ui en-US for English), and /language output <code> to set the language the model replies in. This i18n support is a Qwen-distinct addition over Gemini CLI.